August 2019, Volume 11, Number 1
Must Haves for the New School Year
The new FCPS Calendar Handbook and School Year at a Glance are updated online, but on print copies please mark the following changes on the page 6 School Year at a Glance:
New Faces in Key Places* Teachers New to FCPS Retirees 2018-2019
ALL employees have Employee News email accounts, uploaded from PeopleSoft. To get FCPS emergency-closing texts to your phone, if you didn't do so last year, enter your number, carrier and verification code at www.fcps.org/employeenews. Log-in details are online; when using the Forgotten Password link, please pay close attention to the username format (do not include @ or .org).
Directories+ FCPS Faces (access from FCPS-networked computers only) Schools-Principals, Assistant Principals and Secretaries Central Office As directory updates are made, staff may view them here: K:\Directories - FCPS (access from FCPS-networked computers) V:\Public Affairs\Directories-FCPS (access from FCPS-networked computers) To request an update, email Chastidy.Thomas@fcps.org
Organizational Charts
More Back-to-School News
*Bios for principals in new locations are in the personnel appointments news releases, linked in the News to Use section below.
Meet Ombuds Sabrina Nail Hired to Assist the Public and Staff
Frederick County has become the 4th school district in Maryland to bring an ombuds on board. We joined Baltimore City and Howard and Montgomery counties in designating a neutral employee to quickly and efficiently facilitate informal options for resolution of school-related concerns for students, families, employees and county residents.
Consulting the ombuds for assistance is optional and confidential. The ombuds reports directly to the Board of Education and, without the individual's consent, will not disclose the identity or personally identifiable information of anyone who seeks her assistance. The goal of the Office of the Ombuds is to identify trends and recommend possible strategies to the BOE to improve the effectiveness of FCPS educational outcomes and organizational efficiency.
See more about the Office of the Ombuds: www.fcps.org/ombuds.
FCPS All-Stars Achieving the Promise of Public Education
At its June 12 meeting, the BOE and Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban named Business Support Employee of the Year Sharen Gartrell (far left in the photo) the 2019 Central Office Support Employee of the Year and School-Based Secretary of the Year Terry Eskuchen from Tuscarora HS (far right in the photo) the 2019 School-Based Support Employee of the Year! Also shown, left to right: Bus Driver of the Year Sharon Botkin; Food Service Employee of the Year Melinda Dobbie, from Liberty ES; Instructional Assistant of the Year Deborah Holford, from Heather Ridge; Custodian of the Year Melvin Shafer, from Gov. Thomas Johnson HS; Maintenance Employee of the Year Renee Brandenburg-Huffer; Central Office Secretary of the Year Shelley Dowling. Read about the overall winners.
Nominate a colleague for FCPS All-Star recognition!
Accolades
GENEROUS Thank you to all who donated to the 11th annual Stuff the Bus school-supply drive, to participating bus drivers (shown above), and to CASS Coordinators David Humphries, Christina Karszen, Pamela Miller and Kristen Spear for partnering with United Way of Frederick County to coordinate the event. A record-breaking 103 businesses and 120 sites collected donations that filled 15 buses! Six distribution sites helped equip students in need with supplies to start the school year prepared.
YEAR'S BEST The BOE honored Substitute Teacher of the Year Mary Salapa at its June 12 meeting.
Schoology named Personalized Learning Achievement Specialist Amy Cordes Administrator of the Year for leadership implementing the learning management system to customize learning and elevate student achievement.
Seven of our teachers earned recognition at the Maryland Agriculture Teachers Association summer conference: Patricia Beachy, Tom Hawthorne, Doug Hering, Diane Herndon, Sara Seiser, Sarah Shriner and Richard Stonebraker. See the news release.
OPTIMAL Building Maintenance Manager Curtis Orndorff was featured in IndustryWeek for managing the FCPS transition from corrective to preventive maintenance procedures to optimize our learning environment. See the article.
News to Use
CENTRAL OFFICE REALIGNED Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban enters her third 4-year term with clear goals to meet new ESSA requirements, track and effectively implement legislative changes that result from Kirwan Commission recommendations, and eliminate the achievement gap. To strengthen our ability to meet these goals, she announced realignment of roles in Central Office. The former Communication Services Department has a new charge as the Public Affairs Department to track legislative updates and lobby for public education support. To increase staff training opportunities, there's a new Organizational Development Department. To better focus leadership, there's a new System Accountability and School Administration Department (combining the former SAL and SASI departments). And to better meet student needs, the Student Services Department now includes mental health professionals such as Psychological Services staff, formerly in the Special Education Department. See updated organizational charts for additional changes, names and more.
RACIAL EQUITY The BOE seeks 3 school-based employees to serve on its new Racial Equity Committee. Apply by Monday, September 9. See details.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL Eliminating Achievement Gaps (EAG) and FCPS sponsor the countywide back-to-school CommUNITY Resource Fair Thursday, September 12, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., at Tuscarora HS.
PARTNERSHIPS See this year's Educational Partnerships Annual Report. Since our May issue, FCPS has signed partnership agreements with the Children of Incarcerated Parents program (COIPP), Nymeo Federal Credit Union, and the Girl Scout Council.
OFF THE CUFF Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban blogged (or vlogged) about the following topics since our last newsletter:
See them here. VIDEOS Released since our May Issue: FCPS In a Minute - May 31 June 7 June 14 June 21 Tweet of the Week - Teacher of the Year Mike Franklin, Catoctin HS Monocacy ES Advanced Academics Specialist Kym Dance-Vesely Ballenger Creek MS (former) Principal Jeneen Stewart Beck and Advanced Academics Specialist Christine Brown Maintenance Support Employee of the Year: Pool Operations Supervisor Renee Brandenburg-Huffer Instructional Assistant of the Year: Deborah Holford, Heather Ridge Capital Programs Director Adnan Mamoon Food and Nutrition Services Senior Manager Bob Kelly Rock Creek Principal Katie Buckley
BOE Meetings - Watch any meeting or select a portion by topic here
NEWS RELEASES SINCE MAY FCPS Graduates 2,960 Students in Class of 2019 Public Invited to Open House at 32nd Student-Built Home FCPS Partners with Children of Incarcerated Parents Program FCPS Prepares Structured Literacy Specialists: Teachers Train to Address Dyslexia Board of Education Staffs New Office of the Ombuds Board Names Future School Blue Heron Elementary FCPS Announces Principal and AP Changes for the 2019-2020 School Year Board Honors School Support Employees of the Year Stuff the Bus School-Supply Drive Preparations Underway FCPS Announces Additional Personnel Changes FCPS Renews Partnership with Nymeo FCPS Is Ready for a Busy Summer! Students Place in Top 10 Nationwide FCPS Teachers Earn Maryland Awards FCPS Announces New Department Leaders BOE Seeks Members for Family Life Advisory Committee FCPS Renews Partnership with Girl Scout Council BOE Seeks Members for Racial Equity Committee Visit the FCPS Back-to-School Page! School Starts Tuesday, September 3 FCPS Seeks Calendar Committee Members
FCPS Fast Fact
77,000
That's how many people FCPS FindOutFirst (FOF) reaches.
Please urge parents to pay close attention to clearly updating the email address on the Student Information Card each student brings home when school starts. Staff eSchool entries generate parents' school and grade-level associations in FOF. These roll over automatically each July, so parents no longer need to update their school/grade-level selections in FOF, but they do need to provide the school (and staff needs to accurately enter) any email changes as soon as possible!
The FCPS Insider is published monthly August-May by the FCPS Public Affairs Department, 191 S. East St., Frederick, MD 21701. It features employee news and accolades.
Brief information, subject to edits, and captioned photos for possible inclusion are due to Dian.Nelson@fcps.org by the 15th of the month. For more information: 301-696-6911.